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What Kind Of Mistakes Are Startups Making? (Part 1)

That question is impossible to answer. Put simply, if we knew what mistakes caused startups to fail, we could easily avoid them. It’s like asking what makes startups succeed. If there was a recipe for definite success, we’d all follow it and build great companies, right?

Why do Startups fail?

Starting a business is easy and anyone can do it. However, building a company is exceptionally difficult. Although no one can guarantee success, here are few mistakes you should avoid early on:

Make Something People Don’t Want

This seems rather obvious, but it can be difficult to see as an entrepreneur. Make something people want or need. Often entrepreneurs get a seemingly great idea for a business as a result of a personal experience.The problem is, while the idea seems great for the entrepreneur, if enough people don’t have similar experiences/problems, they won’t see the value or need the service. There is a ton of startups that have great products that don’t actually solve problems.

That said, the best startups are usually the ones that were built upon off their founder’s problems. These problems are often not easily recognizable to the broader market, but they are indeed shared by many. This is not the rule, but the problems you know and understand the most are those that you have experienced firsthand. Hotmail was founded because Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith couldn’t exchange email at work, Apple because Steve Wozniak wanted a computer, Google because Larry and Sergey couldn’t find what they wanted online.

Where can you get ideas? You can imitate an existing company, a lot of startups are doing that. But, if you really want to succeed, entrepreneurs should dig into some specific unsolved problem they identify with. The problem may be small, but also it may be suitable for a specific market niche.

So how do you know your idea will be well received by the market? Ask. Ask as many people as you can. Friends, family, potential customers, anyone who will listen. People are often afraid to ask about their idea for fear that someone will try to steal it. This is very common mistake and one you can easily avoid.

Not Knowing Your Target Customer

One of the first things investors will ask you is to describe your average customer. You must be able to describe their story, what they do, how do they spend their time, what kind of places they often visit, and most importantly, what is the problem your product is going to solve for them. This may again seem obvious, but if you’re not able to pinpoint your average target customer and why they need or want your product/service, you’re most likely on the wrong track.

If you want to know what’s behind DocDep story, read our CEO’s experience and career road which eventually lead to founding DocDep.

One thought on “What Kind Of Mistakes Are Startups Making? (Part 1)”

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But so what, it was still worth it!